CHARLESTON artist Betsy Jones McDonald began her artistic training as a teen with watercolorist Geri Davis of Columbus, Georgia. She went on to study fine art at Columbus State University, and her eye for design was later put to work as a design manager during her years working in visual merchandising.

After moving to Columbia, South Carolina, McDonald began doing murals, which is when she realized her true love lay in large-format painting. She’s pursued oil on canvas ever since and paints using her own custom-mixed hues. McDonald also co-owned Island Art Gallery in Pawleys Island for four years, where she continues to regularly teach color theory workshops.

These days, McDonald’s art is inspired by the marsh surrounding her Daniel Island studio. “I love the colors of the marsh and the way they change with the seasons and the tides,” she says. “Every time you look at the marsh, you see something different, and I’m fascinated by that.”

You can find her paintings exhibited at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet and Perspective Gallery in Mount Pleasant.